<Z e h> J o u r n a l

BROOKLYN, NY-- January 11, 2010--The New Jersey state Senate’s decisive vote last week approving the traditional definition of marriage, was greeted with praise and thanks by opponents of same-sex marriage, including the Vaad L’Shmor Kehillasenu.While Garden State advocates for gay rights insisted that with the vote, they had won a record of public statements to use in a state Supreme court challenge, New Jersey joins New York ad the large majority of U.S. states in unequivocal endorsement of the traditional definition of marriage.

The Vaad L’Shmor Kehillasenu, a panel of Orthodox rabbis respected as authorities on Torah law, applauded the recent affirmation of traditional marriage in New York and New Jersey, stating:“We thank Hashem the Almighty for giving the moral clarity to the senators who voted to reject this bill, which was intended to destroy the moral fabric of society.We thank the senators who voted against this bill for having the courage and wherewithal to resist enormous political pressure, standing as a bulwark in the breach of the foundations of society.”

A federal trial opens today in San Francisco challenging California’s Proposition 8, where voters codified traditional marriage in a constitutional amendment, as a violation of equal protection and due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.Gay rights advocates will present expert testimony intending to show that sexual orientation is dictated by biology, hoping District Judge Vaughn Walker will rule homosexuality, like race and ethnicity, should enjoy protected class status as a unique, special category of human being.

Opponents maintain every person is born with free will and the power to rule over their sexual desires, and the choice to submit to homosexual impulses is regarded as a lapse of moral strength condemned by this country’s deep-rooted religious traditions.It is impossible to declare same-sex marriage a fundamental, constitutional right, without demonizing moral judgment as illegal discrimination.Prohibiting gays from marrying serves to stabilize society by discouraging sexual activity outside the context of increasing the human race through forming natural families.

With this past fall elections, voters in Maine vetoed a same-sex marriage bill approved by their Legislative and Executive branches.New York’s 23rd Congressional district saw same-sex marriage-voting Republican Dede Scozzafava withdraw, for waning support, days before the election.Same-sex marriage recently advanced in Portugal, Mexico City and Washington, D.C.